| February, 2016

I am so disappointed in the appearance of the Barefoot Mailman recently mounted in a horizontal position. It is almost impossible to recognize it at all.

I knew the Town of Hillsboro Beach contributed to the mounting. I think Pompano Beach should adjust the Barefoot Mailman to stand erect as it should be. It is an insult to the people of Hillsboro Beach.

Sponsored by the Pompano Beach Doll Club of Florida affiliated with United Federation of Doll Clubs. Free admission and parking. For information, call 954-783-2158.

Amazing Auto Rallye

Sunday, Feb. 21, 8:45 a.m.

North Broward Preparatory School

7600 Lyons Rd.

Coconut Creek, FL 33073

Road rally includes a time/distance/speed component on the roads of northwest Broward and southwest Boca Raton. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. First car off at 8:45 a.m. Pre-registration is mandatory. Drivers must have valid license, insurance, GPS and timing device. Visit www.nbprep.com/autorallye or call 954-600-6086.

Family Fun Night

Tuesday, Feb. 23, 4 to 8 p.m.

Spadini’s Pizzeria

1645 SE 3 Ct.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

15 percent of food sales will benefit NE Focal Point. Raffles and door prizes. Can’t get to the restaurant? Deliveries over $10 count towards the benefit.

The Hillsboro Inlet Sailing Club Youth Sailing Program offers sailing and boating safety training to children 8 to 18. Open to all in age range who can pass a basic swimming evaluation. Each child required to wear a USCG life vest. Safety training every session. Learn to sail three different types of vessels. $65 for the four-week class. Email hiscyouthsailing@gmail.com.

Florida Renaissance Festival

Weekends through Mar. 27

10 a.m. to sunset

Quiet Waters Park

401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Huzzah! Enjoy Florida’s largest and liveliest Renaissance Festival. Entertainment, food, drinks, games, jousting and more await. Tickets: $21 for adults $9 for children 6 to 11, ages 5 and under free. Season passes: $75. Look online for ways to save. For information, visit www.ren-fest.com.

Let us examine the story the Bible records following the devastating flood, the greatest natural disaster of all times, which wiped out almost all of humanity. It is the ambiguous story of the Tower of Babel. Here is how Genesis 11:4-8 reads: “The people said, Let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top shall reach the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the face of the entire earth. And G-d descended to look at the city and tower which the sons of man built, and G-d said, …Shall it not be withheld from them all they proposed to do?… G-d scattered them across the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.”

This is a strange story. Why did G-d interrupt their project? What was their sin? Their motives for building a city with a tower “whose top shall reach the heavens” are quite understandable, even noble. Mankind was only just reconstructing itself after the Flood, which had wiped out the entire human race, except for Noah and his family. If humanity were to survive, they needed to construct a strong city and tower that could possibly avoid the next disaster. What was wrong with their scheme? Hasn’t the Bible made it a moral imperative to “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it”? [Genesis 1:28]

One of the possible answers is this: In stating their objective in creating the city and the tower, the people declared, “Let us build for ourselves a city and a tower whose top shall reach the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves.” Their motive behind this dramatic construction plan was to immortalize their legacy in concrete structure, the endurance of their names in the annals of history.

But what’s the big deal? The answer is simple. When you have observed a flood in which the entire human race has perished, have you nothing else to think about but securing for yourself a name and a legacy? Imagine somebody gazing at a home swiftly being consumed by a flood. Instead of running to rescue the people inside the home, this person stands and reflects how he can be sure to make a name for himself in the process. This would be grotesque. Can’t you ever forget about your ego? Is there never a moment you are capable of saying to yourself, “Forget my legacy! Human lives need to be saved!”

This is true of every grand campaign undertaken to help humanity. If the objective is self-aggrandizement rather than service to G-d and His children, the very core is tainted; the consequences of this blemish will likely be manifested in the future.

In our own lives we often observe people whose lives have been destroyed by a “flood”, in one form or another. Our question at such a time must always be how do I rebuild a broken heart? How can I ignite a tortured soul? How can I help a survivor? How do I bring more light into a dark world? How do I increase acts of goodness and kindness? What new deed can I undertake to heal the world? How do I extend myself to be there for another person? What can I do to change my corner of the world and make it a more moral and holy place? What will I do today and tomorrow to move our aching planet one step closer to redemption?

On Tuesday morning, we all witnessed tornadoes peel away roofs, rip trees from the ground and dump branches and debris all over the streets. However, as I stood in the Sand & Spurs equestrian park moments after the storm, I watched strangers selflessly helping anyone that needed it – people were schlepping debris, passing out water and assisting animals in getting shelter. To me, this was the human race on its best behavior.

So to you and to G-d I say, we have learned from the past; your children look out and care for each other, so please continue blessing us with peace and health. Thank you to all the nameless people who continue to restore our faith in humanity. To the City of Pompano and all its employees, you should be proud. It was an awesome response and job well done – thank you!

Good luck with the hard work ahead rebuilding!

Rabbi Tzvi Dechter is the Director of Chabad of North Broward Beaches. New location coming soon. For all upcoming events, please visit www.JewishLHP.com.

Tuesday morning, Feb. 16, an EF 1 tornado ripped through Pompano Beach with winds between 86 to 110 m.p.h. causing extensive damage there and in nearby Lighthouse Point, including power outages. The Muvico was just one place that had downed trees, including ones that pulled up the sidewalk.

Near the theater, Pete Smith and his wife, Lisa, slowly picked up tree branches in front of their home in the aftermath of the storm.

“It sounded like the world was coming to an end,” said Smith, who heard the storm at about 7:30 a.m., and says this is the first storm like this he has experienced personally, despite being there for 30 years. He was out of town during Wilma.

“We had fence damage, siding flew off the house,” he continued. “We don’t have money. I have a $5000 deductible on my insurance. I barely make it on social security. I have a bad back and can’t pick up [debris]. I asked the city to cut down the big tree out front, but they did not do it. When it falls, it’s going to kill someone.”

The Goodyear Blimp base also had tree damage and lost some letters from its sign.

The most significant damage was to the nearby Sand & Spurs with horse trailers overturned and trees careening down near stables.

The Hooper family, from Lighthouse Point, who had damage on their street and no power at home, came to Sand & Spurs to check on their horse, Daisy, which, luckily, was okay despite the gigantic tree overturning nearby .

Krystal Cliver has had her horse here since 2009, but nothing like this has ever happened.

“There was one horse with stitches on its nose and one with stitches on his rib cage,” she said. “The horses are okay. People are okay. Now, it’s just clean up.”

A portable stage was picked up and thrown and is a loss, according to Pompano Beach PIO Sandra King, who added they asked FP&L to turn off the power due to downed wires in the area, but saying there were also pockets of power outages. In addition, she said, there was damage to the golf course.

There was also a tornado in the Miami area as well, which resulted in similar damage and a tractor trailer overturned on I-95.

Daisy, the horse, was not injured, despite this large tree crashing down near her stable at Sand & Spurs.

The Goodyear Blimp base had damage to its trees and sign.

Pete and Lisa Smith struggle to remove branches strewn in their yard from an unwanted tree on their property that they have asked the city to remove. They also had fence and siding damage from the storm.

The sidewalk near Muvico (on the south side of shopping center) was uplifted.

National Signing Day is in the books. On Wednesday, Feb. 3 the top prospects from Deerfield Beach High School signed their letters of intent to play college football at their respective universities. Congratulations to the class of 2016!

On Feb. 7, little surfers hit Deerfield’s beach for the Gnarly Charley’s Grom Surf Series competition. Eighty-one kids aged 15 and under competed. The event was put on by Charley Hajek, who lives in New Smyrna Beach but holds competitions up and down the east coast.

Hajek, who is the nine-time East Coast Champion and is getting ready to go to regionals himself, said, “This keeps kids off the streets and in the water. I teach them strategies and good sportsmanship.”

His surf series includes nine divisions. This is his second time in Deerfield. One of his next competitions is in Jupiter on Feb. 27 and Ft. Pierce after that in March.

With full Michael Moore mass media pomp and circumstance, Where to Invade Next opens tomorrow in neighborhood theaters. Moore “invades” European countries in a quest to solve the problems of the United States of America. It has been said this documentary will present Moore in a kinder and gentler light.

Also opening this weekend is Dough, an independent comedy that tackles serious themes of racism and capitalism. The situations are painful, but director John Goldschmidt sets a lighthearted tone that does not alienate the ticket buyer.

Nat (Jonathan Pryce) is an old Jewish baker who is trying to maintain his business in a financially depressed London neighborhood. With Sam Cotton (Phillip Davis) attempting to use Eminent Domain tactics upon Nat, the old man stubbornly maintains his discipline and focus.

Enter Ayyash (Jerome Holder), a Muslim refugee from Darfur who lives with his mother. Ayyash hangs with a bad crowd who sells drugs. When caught with his pants down, Ayyash comes under his mother’s wrath.

She works for Nat and convinces him to hire her son. Ayyash and Nat find similarities through their differences – both adhere to their respective faiths with disciplined prayer. However, they discover they have generational differences, too; Ayyash ends up using his drug connections to increase the sales revenue for Nat.

Unlike a Cheech & Chong comedy, Dough takes a sophisticated approach to the effects of narcotic usage, much more in line with the Craig Ferguson comedy from 16 years ago, Saving Grace, starring Brenda Blethyn. Jonathan Price and Jerome Holder forge a unique comedy team, and I would love to see these two actors work together again on a future project.

As football withdrawal weekend takes effect, Oscar season comes into full force. Brooklyn, The Revenant, Spotlight and Carol are on the local big screen this President’s Day, weekend.

As Sheriff of Broward County, I have worked to bring transparency and accountability to the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO). It is an imperative element needed to maintain community trust. Bodyworn cameras are a key to providing this public accountability.

It is important that you see the many great things our deputies do right day in and day out; but the few times we make mistakes and do things wrong, we must also be accountable. There is no better way of seeing what actually happened than a visual record of an incident. The public and law enforcement officers have a right to see and hear what goes on in the street when we do our jobs.

On my orders, BSO has already begun the process of implementing body cameras for our uniformed road patrol deputies. The use of this technology will protect good deputies from false accusations, build evidence to increase conviction rates for the criminals we arrest and help protect the public from the isolated instances of officer misconduct. Recording the interactions between our deputies and community members will help improve officer safety, strengthen trust and transparency and better document incidents and crimes.

Our community wants body cameras. I want body cameras. And body cameras are here at BSO.

The results from law enforcement agencies around the country that use body cameras are encouraging. These agencies saw a drop in use-of-force incidents. The best example is the Oakland Police Department in California, which has 800 body cameras in use – the most of any U.S. police force as of this writing. Since the deployment of body cameras, the department has seen a sharp decline in attacks on officers and officer-involved shootings. At the same time, arrests in Oakland have stayed consistent with past numbers, dismissing a belief that the body cameras cause law enforcement officers to hesitate when they see something wrong occurring. Other departments with body cameras have posted similar positive results.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office currently has nearly 100 body cameras in use where they can be most effective. We are currently equipping road patrol deputies, who have the most interaction with the public. We are already in the process of widening this safety campaign to acquire more body cameras. It is my intention for all uniformed deputies agency-wide to wear them while on duty.

There will be only two kinds of law enforcement agencies in the future: those that start using body cameras reactively because something terrible happened and those that use them because they proactively realize the great benefit of the devices. We are proactive. Hesitation to use body cameras could only serve to erode the solid trust we have built within our community.

I believe body cameras are a win-win for our hard working deputies and for all residents of Broward County.

Everyone welcome! During the Lenten season we abstain from meat on Fridays, so let’s get together and have some fish! Fish Fry held again Feb. 26 and March 11. $10; $5 for kids. Call 954-427-2225 or visit http://stambrosedeerfieldbch.com.

Renowned musician Matthew Sabatella brings his guitar and banjo for a lively one-hour presentation of Music of the American Revolution. Part of the Celebration 240 Years of Freedom series sponsored by the Friends of the Deerfield Beach Percy White Library.

Enjoy a sweet treat of clean comedy with Scott Davis, great music and yummy dessert. Dessert service at 6:45 p.m., comedy show at 7:30 p.m. $10 advance, $15 at the door. Call 954-421-0190 or visit www.gbcfl.org.

Deerfield Farmers Market

Sunday, Feb. 14, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pioneer Park

NE 5 Ave.

Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

Free. Meet your sweetheart at the Farmers Market on Valentine’s Day! Charm her with some fresh flowers, sweeten him up with a jar of home-grown honey or get yourself out of the dog house with home baked dog treats! Also, farm fresh produce, jellies, pickles and much more.